Colorado hasn’t needed its overflow hospitals yet

One month ago, Gov. Jared Polis stood inside Denver’s cavernous Colorado Convention Center and said he hoped the planned 2,000bed emergency hospital wouldn’t have to be used for patients suffering from the novel coronavirus.

Right now, he’s getting his wish. Through the governor’s stay-athome order and social-distancing measures, Colorado health officials say they flattened the COVID-19 curve enough to avoid a surge in patients that would have overwhelmed hospitals. As of Thursday, there were 628 people hospitalized across the state with coronavirus symptoms, the lowest total since April 1.

As many as 944 people have died from complications related to COVID-19, while positive cases on Thursday surpassed 18,000 — although officials have said the true number is likely far greater.

With hospitals able to handle the number of patients coming in, officials have moved back the dates and lowered the number of beds needed in emergency facilities being prepared across Colorado.

The convention center, initially scheduled to be ready by April 18, has been pushed back to June 4, with capacity decreased to 250 beds, Kevin Klein, the state’s director for the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency

Management, said Thursday on a conference call with reporters.

The Ranch Events Complex in Loveland, which initially was to house up to 1,000 beds by April 20, has pushed its completion date back to June 11, Klein said. Its capacity also will be decreased to 200 beds.

“We’re planning for the worst, hoping for the best,” Klein said on the call, adding that the overflow buildings will be kept ready in case there’s a second COVID-19 wave in the fall. At that point, the state will reassess its needs, he said.

“We’re going to keep evaluating whether we need them,” Klein said, as state officials keep an eye on hospital capacity numbers and modeling data. “Our target is to have them ready to go.”

Other emergency medical facilities in Westminster, Pueblo and Grand Junction also moved back their projected operation dates into late June and early July, the state’s Emergency Operations Center said in a news release.

The retrofitting of these facilities has not come without cost.

The convention center overhaul will cost about $40 million, while The Ranch will be an additional $31 million, the governor’s office previously said.

The state will be responsible for 25% of the total cost — or $17.75 million — although Polis has urged FEMA to cover the entire price of the project.

Other projected costs include:

• St. Anthony’s North in Westminster: $500,000.

• St. Mary-Corwin Medical Center in Pueblo: $190,933.

• Western Slope Memory Care in Grand Junction: $26,824.